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Friends,
The Resistance is strong and growing. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are turning out to demand our democracy back and loudly reject Trump’s quasi-dictatorship. Last month some 1,300 pro-democracy, anti-Trump protests occurred around the country. May Day alone saw more than 1,000 of them. Citizens are also protesting at local Town Hall meetings across America.
Many of you are deeply involved. Others of you would like to be. I’ll keep you posted on where and how you can be, and also on the people and events shaping the pro-democracy, anti-Trump movement.
Here are some current notes from the front line.
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NO KINGS PROTEST JUNE 14
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“No Kings” protests are planned for Trump’s birthday on June 14 — when Trump plans to hold a military parade more befitting a dictator than an elected head of state in a democracy, at an estimated cost of up to $45 million.
Citizens will counter with a No Kings National Day of Defiance (with organizing support provided by Indivisible, 50501, Public Citizen, and other groups).
See the full list of planned events and locations here.
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BERNIE AND RUN FOR SOMETHING
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Bernie Sanders is putting organizational heft behind his appeal for progressives to run for office. He’s teaming up with the progressive group Run for Something and other groups to support potential candidates.
More than 5,000 have already signed up. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, see here.
“We want to make sure that we’re not just going into these spaces and holding rallies and disappearing, and we’re not just asking people to run for office,” said Jeremy Slevin, a top Sanders adviser. “We’re giving them the tools they need to actually do it — resources and trainings of how to file, how to hire a staff, how to set fundraising deadlines and comms goals — basically, how to run a campaign.”
“It is really exciting to see Bernie model bringing in a new generation of leaders for all other older Democrats,” says Amanda Litman, president of Run for Something. “It is not enough to just be at the front — you got to build power that sticks behind you.”
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TRUMP’S REGRESSIVE “BIG BEAUTIFUL” BILL IS IN BIG TROUBLE
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A planned vote today in the House Budget Committee to advance the GOP megabill — Trump’s “big beautiful bill” that makes massive cuts in safety-net programs to finance tax giveaways to the richest Americans — is in peril.
The Republican proposal includes more than $600 billion in Medicaid cuts that are likely to throw more than 8 million people off the program, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office — along with some $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Hard-line conservative Republicans are pushing for even deeper Medicaid cuts — including moving up the start date of new work requirements embedded in the bill, which currently go into effect in 2029, after the end of Trump’s term. Moderates are wary of making deeper cuts to Medicaid.
Progressives are targeting 14 vulnerable Republicans — demanding they vote “no” on the emerging package. If you live in any of their districts, please call them and tell them you’re one of their constituents and that you want them to vote no on the so-called “big beautiful” package (the congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121):
Mariannette Miller Meeks (IA-1)
John James (MI-10)
Zach Nunn (IA-3)
Derrick Van Orden (WI-3)
Tom Barrett (MI-7)
Bryan Steil (WI-1)
David Valadao (CA-22)
Kevin Kiley (CA-3)
Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6)
David Schweikert (AZ-1)
Scott Perry (PA-10)
Ryan Mackenzie (PA-7)
Gabe Evans (CO-8)
Tony Wied (WI-8)
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